Infiniti will be the title sponsor of Red Bull in 2013
In 2013, Infiniti will become the title sponsor of the triple world champion constructors' team, which will thus be named "Infiniti Red Bull Racing." Commercial partners since 2011, the two entities will thereby increase their technological synergies, even though Renault asserts that this strengthened partnership will not change the name of the engines that will power the future RB9.
The Japanese manufacturer Infiniti, a member of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has been among the partners of the Red Bull team since 2011. After two years of collaboration, the triple world champion team has decided to strengthen its ties with the manufacturer, which will become the title sponsor of the team starting in 2013, a first since the energy drink brand established its own team in the top category: “While our first 24 months [of collaboration] have been beneficial to both parties, our newly strengthened relationship will increase the benefits for Infiniti and Red Bull Racing. As the title sponsor, ‘Infiniti Red Bull Racing’ will allow us to gain wider exposure for our brand, our products, and our technology,” says Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti.
Trade partners until now, Infiniti and Red Bull will thus strengthen their technological relations: « Red Bull Racing and Infiniti have worked on a number of initiatives since the beginning of our relationship in 2011. During this period, Infiniti has demonstrated significant technological progress, and I have been impressed by the depth of Nissan Motor Company’s engineering capabilities. In terms of marketing, Infiniti has capitalized extremely effectively on its involvement with Red Bull Racing and Formula 1 to become more recognized in a short period. These two characteristics make Infiniti the ideal title sponsor and technical partner for Red Bull Racing, » explains Christian Horner, director of the Austrian team.
For his part, Adrian Newey is pleased to see Infiniti strengthening its involvement with the Milton Keynes team: « Formula 1 presents immense daily challenges in terms of design and engineering. Having a technical partner as committed as Infiniti gives us a very good platform to work together on technical projects, such as the energy recovery system (ERS) for 2014. »
When interviewed by Autosport, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault, assures that the engines of the future RB9 will not be rebadged as Infiniti and will therefore still carry the Renault name: Renault, which today supplies a third of the teams in competition and is champion with Red Bull for the third consecutive year, validates the strategy we have adopted.
